In the past few weeks I have overheard people talking about their New Year’s resolutions. It usually sounds like, “In January I am going on that low calorie diet to lose 20 pounds,” or, “I am taking a few months off now, but in January I am going to workout hard!” This sounds great, but these changes are usually short lived and the same people usually end up making the same resolutions year after year. If you are making a resolution this year try to make changes that suit your lifestyle.

When making your resolution set goals that are realistic. Healthy lifestyle changes can start with small steps. For starters you can make simple changes such as walking to the shopping mall instead of driving. Also, you can try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. These small changes can increase your overall activity level and help you burn more calories.

If you have not been exercising regularly and you want to make bigger changes in order to achieve a healthier lifestyle then a great resolution is to workout three times a week. You can workout in a gym, at home, or both. Working out in a fitness club is great because of the large variety of exercise equipment and because it is a motivating atmosphere. However, if you do not have time to make it to the gym one day you can do some exercises at home with some simple pieces of exercise equipment.

Exercises performed with dumbbells or stability balls are great because they can be performed at home or in a gym. So, if you are committed to exercising three times each week, you can also make it a resolution to try to learn some exercises with each of these pieces of equipment as their versatility will help with your exercise consistency.

Dumbbells are great because they are extremely effective and easy to use. Stability balls are relatively new in the fitness industry, however, physiotherapists have used them for decades, as they produce excellent results.

The great news about all of this is that there is no better time to start an exercise routine than the present. Fitness should be a year round lifestyle commitment and now is the best time to start. Fitness clubs are not busy this time of year and they are packed full in January, and if you start exercising now you can have fun over the holiday season and avoid the dreaded weight gain that usually goes along with it!

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.